For audio quality, the recorder features High Definition Discrete Architecture (HDDA) microphone preamplifiers, each with a differential amplification circuit that has been optimized for sound while providing an optional +48V phantom power for use with condenser microphones.

The Tascam rep has posted a couple of things about the 680mkii. One said: "The main audio improvement in the DR-680mkII comes from the upgraded op-amp, including better EIN (lower noise)."

Another quote from the 680 thread: "Somebody asked about op-amps on the mkII. The mkII uses a better sounding op-amp compared to the mkI. (BA2115 instead of BA4580)Only the DR-70D has the NE5532 op-amp.

I thought I mentioned this before, but the Headphone knob is improved on the mkII as well - better taper and finer control."

Anybody know what HDDA mic preamps are? I assume that's what they put into the HS-P82?

The HS-P82 apparently has what Tascam is calling Ultra-HDDA which are the NE5532 op amps. Interesting that the DR-70d has the same preamps as the HS-P82. No wonder people like that new little recorder.

They don't say this on the HS-P82 product page but on the USB2x2 page they mention it has the same op amps as the HS-P82 and then say it has NE5532.

I wonder if the firmware of the MKII can be installed on the original MKI, since it looks like the hardware (except the op amps) is the same - that way we could have some of the long asked features (file counter reset) on the DR680, but Tascam decided that it was better to release a new machine instead of releasing new firmware with these features

That is an interesting question. Unless Tascam releases it as firmware update to the 680, I wouldn't want to be the first to take a chance on it since the mkii can use the larger capacity cards which the 680 can't.

All of the DR series firmware updates are product-locked, and generally locked against downgrades.

No offense - but is it just a matter of jailbreaking?

Somebody with a dev kit for this Blackfin stuff must know...

"Jailbreaking" only makes sense for a product series that has features that can be enabled/disabled programatically. The mkII changes are are inter-mingled with each other, so end up being dependent on the hardware. To make the software feature list othogonal would be more work.We have had an Anti reverse-engineering policy for ever. The reason is more pragmatic than philosophical.

I didn't pre-order one but did ask for availability notification from B&H. Was a bit disappointed that it wasn't available at 12am this morning but that could also be because they sold out of their 1st allotment already I guess.

edit, now says: Expected availability: March 20 2015

« Last Edit: February 26, 2015, 02:58:25 PM by drewloo »

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For those of you who pre-ordered from B&H, I just got off the phone with customer service and their expected availability date slipped from 3/20 to 4/15 due to shipping delays from Tascam. Glad I picked up a 70d as well, which should be here in time tape a couple Keller shows next week.

The Tascam rep has posted a couple of things about the 680mkii. One said: "The main audio improvement in the DR-680mkII comes from the upgraded op-amp, including better EIN (lower noise)."

Another quote from the 680 thread: "Somebody asked about op-amps on the mkII. The mkII uses a better sounding op-amp compared to the mkI. (BA2115 instead of BA4580)Only the DR-70D has the NE5532 op-amp.

I thought I mentioned this before, but the Headphone knob is improved on the mkII as well - better taper and finer control."

Has anyone compared the BA2115 to the NE5532? Not sure if the BA2115 is stock in any other Tascam deck. If so I'd like to hear samples. Is the consensus that the NE5532 is a higher quality op amp for field recording? If so, I'm really surprised they didn't use that op amp in the MKII since it costs $300 more than the DR-70D.

The Tascam rep has posted a couple of things about the 680mkii. One said: "The main audio improvement in the DR-680mkII comes from the upgraded op-amp, including better EIN (lower noise)."

Another quote from the 680 thread: "Somebody asked about op-amps on the mkII. The mkII uses a better sounding op-amp compared to the mkI. (BA2115 instead of BA4580)Only the DR-70D has the NE5532 op-amp.

I thought I mentioned this before, but the Headphone knob is improved on the mkII as well - better taper and finer control."

Has anyone compared the BA2115 to the NE5532? Not sure if the BA2115 is stock in any other Tascam deck. If so I'd like to hear samples. Is the consensus that the NE5532 is a higher quality op amp for field recording? If so, I'm really surprised they didn't use that op amp in the MKII since it costs $300 more than the DR-70D.

If they used the 2-channel version (the BA2115 comes in a 3 and even 4-channel flavour as well), then it wouldn't be very complicated. However, there are many other factors to be taken into consideration apart from the op-amp, and they're actually using the "improved op-amp" line mainly as marketing hype - it's the new deal, it sounds good and sells.

However, the performance of the recorder is only partly based on the op-amp, just like the performance of a microphone - recorder is only partly based on the recorder.

The DR680 already had stellar EIN, close to the Sound Devices 7xx series, so if the DR680MKII is even a bit better, why bother modding it?

As I understand it, part of the alleged problem with the original 680 was that the capacitors were too small when it came to providing phantom power, and Tascam fixed this in the mkii along with providing improved op-amps. It remains to be seen whether changing the mkii op amps would make a substantial difference.

With the Zoom F8 on the horizon offering 8 individually adjustable channels, nice metering, and possibly, timecode, in a SD style case for $1,000, it might be smart to pause and let things settle down before committing $600 to the mkii and then spending another $350 on modding the mkii for what might or might not be that much improvement.

I'd be far more interested in replacing my mk1 680 if Tascam would have included a few of the features available on the DR-70D, rather than simply fixing the problems with the mk1 version without really adding other significant improvements.

I'd buy one if it had these things:individual channel output level individual channel EQindividual channel polarity

Possible those things may be addressable via firmware update, but I doubt it.

As it is, it seems like asking mk1 owners to pay for a new machine in order to fix problems which were Tascam's responsibility.

I really don't see the need to swap the op-amps. There are not even any real world tests yet online! The 680 is a proven model, and the MKii upgrade (mode of an update) fixed the few problems the first version did have.

I wouldn't jump to the F8 just yet, even if it is launched this year. Zoom doesn't have a good reputation for sound quality (all their products are noisy and induce non-linear distortion). As for reliability, Zoom has learned a lot lately, yes, the H6 and H5 are the first of their recorders which can be trusted to an extent. But I wouldn't rely on a new model for serious work, at least not until it has been field-proven. I'd wait a year or so after it comes up for all the firmware quirks to be resolved.

However the F8 prototype looks like a sound mixer's nightmare for ENG work - extremely non-user-friendly. Why would we need such a large color screen? To cramp up "rec" and "stop" buttons to the side of the case, where they can be accidentally pressed if doing an over-the-soulder recording? The case should be bigger for 8 channels...

Yeah, someone once yanked on my friend's 680 while it was plugged in and now the jack is messed up to where he can't jiggle the cable the littlest bit or it looses power so he has to tape the cable in position. I learned this the hard way when I went to get patch out of it and it shut off as I was trying to plug in some rca cables. Luckily it was a local band but I felt bad for doing it.

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Got the 128gb card... 40. works like a champ .. My decks have always lived in the CS-680 cases... The new deck will live in one of those... one of the other will in a generic SKB case.. but having it out you see how small and cool this deck really is.

I just picked up a DR-680 MKII to add to my existing DR-680. I'll use the MKII for most things, and use them both if I need more than 8 channels. A few notes/questions:

1) I got mine from Full Compass, and while the price on their site is $599, I asked if they could offer me a better deal, and they sold it to me for $535. I'm a semi-regular customer there, so I don't know if that comes into play at all (probably not), but definitely ask if you're thinking about getting one there (or anything else for that matter).

2) The menus seem much nicer and intuitive than the original 680. I finally upgraded to the 1.30 firmware because I knew there were some improvements, and I was a bit sad that despite a few new features, but basic layout didn't change (the original 680 still has an inferior menu layout even with the 1.30 firmware).

3) I'm planning on recording a show tomorrow with more than 8 tracks, so I wanted to see how the cascade function worked. I *thought* it has been mentioned that when using cascade, the master and slave units don't stay in perfect digital sync, but I recorded for close to 7 minutes, and there was no drift. A null test between the files recorded on the 2 recorders resulted in perfect silence. The only issue was that the slave unit (680) was 1,841 samples ahead of the master (680MKII), so I had to line them up in post. I haven't (yet) experimented to see if that offset varies, or exactly what happens when switching which unit is the master and which is the slave. I'd be interested in hearing what other peoples' experiences are, however.

4) On one hand it's nice that there's not a separate line cord that can become unplugged from the power brick, but I do wish the cord to the brick was longer.

I've not sync'd two of them, but that behavior is what I'd expect. Clock on the slave machine should lock to the master over S/PDIF, although transport sync (start/stop times) may be off slightly. If you haven't done so, you might try tuning off "pre-record" on both machines to see if/how that effects transport sync.

I've not sync'd two of them, but that behavior is what I'd expect. Clock on the slave machine should lock to the master over S/PDIF, although transport sync (start/stop times) may be off slightly. If you haven't done so, you might try tuning off "pre-record" on both machines to see if/how that effects transport sync.

FYI, I did notice that the offset was different (233 samples I think) on another take. So apparently that varies somewhat. But still definitely in sync.

I have used this deck extensively since swapping my original DR680. I wonder if anyone else has noticed this, as I am sure it is a firmware issue and is not unique to my deck. I have written Tascam Customer Service 6 times now but have yet to hear back. (I did get an automated response one time saying they would contact me after reviewing my letter, but that was it). I pretty much cut and paste the same letter with small modifications each time in the hopes that one day, I'll get a response. I get around the issue by leaving a note stuck to my recorder so I do not forget the issue which would be easy to do. Here are parts of the letter explaining the issue. I don't know if the issue existed on my DR680, because I never went digi with it. I do like the menu layout on the DR680MKII better than the original, but wonder if the issue existed (Ironically, the menu layout for this using this feature set are amongst the biggest differences between the original and MKII) then or not, and hope they'll deal with it, but have my doubts...

There seems to be an issue that should be fixable with a firmware update. I have written before but not heard back. In the "FUNCTION" menu if you are recording "Digital" (SPDIF) to the mix track (which I call tracks 7 and 8 for ease of reference) you need to set the DIN/MIX settings to "DIN MON" (from the default of "MIX MON") but the deck will not hold the setting of "DIN MON". As soon as you power off and then power it back on for the next use, it reverts back to "MIX MON". There is no way to hold the setting "DIN MON", making it very easy to forget to change it back. You may not notice too, because the MIX channels when set to "MIX MON" the default (which I call 7 and 8 for ease of reference) will be moving if any of channels 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 are in use.

Long story short: If there can be a fix (firmware upgrade) so that in the "FUNCTION" menu whatever setting is chosen in the "DIN/MIX" menu would stay chosen like all the other settings, this would be really good. I hope this is clear, Please respond back this time.

« Last Edit: December 02, 2015, 01:49:42 PM by dallman »

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^ Interesting. I've not recorded anything with my MK2 yet. I have only been using it for playback thus far, and immediately noticed the menu and menu interface changes.

I have not checked the manual text sections dealing with this, but took a quick look at the recording block diagram for the original and MK2 versions and they are different. The differences to correspond with DIN recording and monitoring, but I don't have time presently to dig too deeply..

These block diagrams are available in the back of the user manual for each machine. Here's are screen shots of them, a bit cropped to be legible on screen, but the relevant bits are all there-

"In the "FUNCTION" menu if you are recording "Digital" (SPDIF) to the mix track (which I call tracks 7 and 8 for ease of reference) you need to set the DIN/MIX settings to "DIN MON" (from the default of "MIX MON") but the deck will not hold the setting of "DIN MON"."

I don't have my machine in front of me at the moment, but if I'm understanding you correctly, you don't *need* to set to DIN MON when recording digital input to the stereo track. That setting only affects monitoring, not recording.

I have used this deck extensively since swapping my original DR680. I wonder if anyone else has noticed this, as I am sure it is a firmware issue and is not unique to my deck. I have written Tascam Customer Service 6 times now but have yet to hear back. (I did get an automated response one time saying they would contact me after reviewing my letter, but that was it). I pretty much cut and paste the same letter with small modifications each time in the hopes that one day, I'll get a response. I get around the issue by leaving a note stuck to my recorder so I do not forget the issue which would be easy to do. Here are parts of the letter explaining the issue. I don't know if the issue existed on my DR680, because I never went digi with it. I do like the menu layout on the DR680MKII better than the original, but wonder if the issue existed (Ironically, the menu layout for this using this feature set are amongst the biggest differences between the original and MKII) then or not, and hope they'll deal with it, but have my doubts...

There seems to be an issue that should be fixable with a firmware update. I have written before but not heard back. In the "FUNCTION" menu if you are recording "Digital" (SPDIF) to the mix track (which I call tracks 7 and 8 for ease of reference) you need to set the DIN/MIX settings to "DIN MON" (from the default of "MIX MON") but the deck will not hold the setting of "DIN MON". As soon as you power off and then power it back on for the next use, it reverts back to "MIX MON". There is no way to hold the setting "DIN MON", making it very easy to forget to change it back. You may not notice too, because the MIX channels when set to "MIX MON" the default (which I call 7 and 8 for ease of reference) will be moving if any of channels 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 are in use.

Long story short: If there can be a fix (firmware upgrade) so that in the "FUNCTION" menu whatever setting is chosen in the "DIN/MIX" menu would stay chosen like all the other settings, this would be really good. I hope this is clear, Please respond back this time.

Have DR680 MKI and this happens to me all the time. I know what you are saying dallman. I never updated my firmware and have to set it each time. Got into the habit of checking each time because you are right the default setting looks like it is ok due to it is the mix of channel 1-6. So this has bitten me more then once. Never knew there was a fix for this...

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Gutbucket have you noticed any improvement in the pres from mk1 to mk2? Or anyone else?

Luckpac is correct, at least for the original 680.. not sure about the MK2 yet.

The last few posts were uploaded before I could post the following, which is basically confirmation of that:

To back up a bit.. at least with the original DR-680, you needn't be in DIN MON mode to record a digital input to the stereo channel. You only need to be in DIN MON to monitor the digital input on the stereo channel meter and route it to the digital and/or analog outputs. You do need to have ST REC set to DIN instead of MIX to record the digital input to the Stereo channel (7/8).

Luckpac is correct, at least for the original 680.. not sure about the MK2 yet.

The last few posts were uploaded before I could post the following, which is basically confirmation of that:

To back up a bit.. at least with the original DR-680, you needn't be in DIN MON mode to record a digital input to the stereo channel. You only need to be in DIN MON to monitor the digital input on the stereo channel meter and route it to the digital and/or analog outputs. You do need to have ST REC set to DIN instead of MIX to record the digital input to the Stereo channel (7/8).

If the diagram you posted is accurate, the same is true of the MKII. The monitor setting only affects the monitor, not what gets recorded.

My original 680 reverts to MIX MON on power-off just like phil_er_up notes. It will retain the ST REC DIN setting through a power cycle however, so it will always record the DIN input if one is present, the recorder is able to lock to it, and the stereo channel is record armed. Set that way, the recorder will display DIN UNLOCK when entering rec/pause if there is no digital input present, but goes ahead and records the analog inputs without pause, using it's internal timeclock. If a digital input shows up at any time while recording, the screen will display DIN LOCK and the recorder switches to using the external DIN as its timeclock.

Gutbucket have you noticed any improvement in the pres from mk1 to mk2? Or anyone else?

Haven't recorded anything with it yet. I was content with the original preamps. My main concern with the original was the well reported occasional over-heating related glitches.

They added the ability to reload and properly rebuild multichannel takes allowing playback on the machine to the original with the latest firmware update, which was a previous concern of mine, so I didn't actually need to buy a MK2 to do that. And neither the original or MK2 have added the other playback features I was hoping for- control over output levels by channel in direct out mode, EQ, polarity invert, and delay.

The menu change is nice and makes accessing and changing settings faster. One press access to all menus, and the screen scrolls consecutively through all sub-menus, with no need to go back out the main menu to enter another.

This doesn't have anything to do with the MIX MON issue, but I want to warn other owners of an issue I've had with my MKii.

For the most part the unit's been rock solid for the few months I've had it. It's easy to use and pre-amps sound great to my ears. However, 2 times the unit has completely locked up in the middle of the show and the only way to get it recording again was to shut down, unplug power, remove batteries and SD card, then do a hard reset by holding the power button down. After that the unit will boot back up and start running again. I looked into this here, and on GS, and the only thing I could come up with is that deleting or altering the .wav files on the SD card, on a mac or pc, then using the same card without reformatting it first could be the culprit. It's almost like the MKii gets confused when it tries to write over sectors on an SD that have been deleted using another devices.

The cards I use are 128GB PNY Elite Performance, I've run a full scans on each using 3rd party software and results come back error-free each time. I've probably recorded 150-200 hours on each card, running between 4-8 channels @ 24/48, but the only times I've run into an issue is when I've deleted files on my mac then used the same card without reformatting.

Forgive me if this is a known issue but just wanted to put it out there. If there's an ultra critical show you're recording (e.g. all of them) make sure you run a fresh format on the the SD card, preferably on the MKii, if you alter the files in any way on a mac, pc or other device.

This doesn't have anything to do with the MIX MON issue, but I want to warn other owners of an issue I've had with my MKii.

For the most part the unit's been rock solid for the few months I've had it. It's easy to use and pre-amps sound great to my ears. However, 2 times the unit has completely locked up in the middle of the show and the only way to get it recording again was to shut down, unplug power, remove batteries and SD card, then do a hard reset by holding the power button down. After that the unit will boot back up and start running again. I looked into this here, and on GS, and the only thing I could come up with is that deleting or altering the .wav files on the SD card, on a mac or pc, then using the same card without reformatting it first could be the culprit. It's almost like the MKii gets confused when it tries to write over sectors on an SD that have been deleted using another devices.

The cards I use are 128GB PNY Elite Performance, I've run a full scans on each using 3rd party software and results come back error-free each time. I've probably recorded 150-200 hours on each card, running between 4-8 channels @ 24/48, but the only times I've run into an issue is when I've deleted files on my mac then used the same card without reformatting.

Forgive me if this is a known issue but just wanted to put it out there. If there's an ultra critical show you're recording (e.g. all of them) make sure you run a fresh format on the the SD card, preferably on the MKii, if you alter the files in any way on a mac, pc or other device.

Did know it did not affect the recording and it was only for the monitor, though you can not reset it once you start recording. So that is why I always check it. I like to know what the recordings levels are.

This has happened to me a few times on the MK1. If I remember correctly it was from turning off the V3 and other preamps before I turned off the 680. The 680 would get confused (lockup) and the only way to correct the problem was taking the power cord out of the 680.

Some users reformat their card prior each recording session, but I don't feel that's necessary, and doing that would make for a card management hassle for me. If I'm not reformating the card prior to use, and plan on continuing to record to the card, I do not delete any files from it. I create new directories (folders) on the card, rename them, and move and rename the WAV files, but I always try not to delete anything. I copy the files off the card to a HDD once I get home, but leave them on the card both for playback and as a safety copy until I can make a backup copy of the HDD files. Once a card is filled up, without sufficient space for more additional recording, I reformat it and begin filling it again with new recordings.

The only times I've had problems with SD cards in any of my recorders in the past (can't remember it happening with the DR-680, but I'd already implemented this "never delete before formating" policy long before I started using that recorder) is when I'd deleted files from the card and kept using the it without reformatting.

Did know it did not affect the recording and it was only for the monitor, though you can not reset it once you start recording. So that is why I always check it. I like to know what the recordings levels are.

What do you mean "you can not reset it once you start recording"? I'd have to double check on my MKII, but the original 680 definitely allows you to switch back and forth between MIX MON and DIN MON while recording.

This has happened to me a few times on the MK1. If I remember correctly it was from turning off the V3 and other preamps before I turned off the 680. The 680 would get confused (lockup) and the only way to correct the problem was taking the power cord out of the 680.

Good to know, my lock ups weren't attributed to shutting off other preamps/MKii losing digi signal though. Both times it happened, I was running SBD and mics direct to mic/line channels 1-6.

Some users reformat their card prior each recording session, but I don't feel that's necessary, and doing that would make for a card management hassle for me. If I'm not reformating the card prior to use, and plan on continuing to record to the card, I do not delete any files from it. I create new directories (folders) on the card, rename them, and move and rename the WAV files, but I always try not to delete anything. I copy the files off the card to a HDD once I get home, but leave them on the card both for playback and as a safety copy until I can make a backup copy of the HDD files. Once a card is filled up, without sufficient space for more additional recording, I reformat it and begin filling it again with new recordings.

The only times I've had problems with SD cards in any of my recorders in the past (can't remember it happening with the DR-680, but I'd already implemented this "never delete before formating" policy long before I started using that recorder) is when I'd deleted files from the card and kept using the it without reformatting.

Yeah, I don't think a reformat each time is necessary either. I've filled my SD up to the 128GB mark on a couple occasions with out a glitch... well, except for running out of space. I agree that leaving the files on the card is the best practice whenever possible. It's saved me a couple times when I've accidentally deleted files off the laptop that weren't backed up to my NAS yet. Just need to make sure you have 10-15GB of space on the card before starting anything multi-track.

I'll go slow here, because I may be asking a question at the same time I am explaining how I have my settings for going digi to the Mix Track. The differences in recording Digi to tracks 5 and 6 versus the mix track have taken me a while to figure out. In my experience, if the "DIN/MIX" setting on the FUNCTION menu is not on "DIN/MON", and if I am trying to record Digi to that "mix track" (which again I find easier to refer to as 7 and 8 ) I do not end up with anything on my card. I know it implies that it is only for monitoring, but in my experience I will not end up with anything on 7 and 8 if I go digi in and this is accidentally set to "MIX/MON". The other step in this process is to make sure that under MENU, the "ST REC" option is set to "DIN". So to repeat, if I have the "ST REC" set to "DIN" and do not have the "DIN/MIX" set to "DIN/MON", nothing records on the track. Now I don't know if this makes a difference, and I am not sure if I have tried this both ways, but under the MENU setting of "TRACK", I have my analog inputs turned on whatever they may be (usually 1,2,3,4) but I have the "ST" setting turned off if recording analog only or digi to 5 and 6. (edit to add: ) except when I am going Digi in to 7 and 8 and in that case I believe under "TRACK" the "ST" needs to be on too. I have it as part of my 3 step process which is "ST REC" set to "DIN", "TRACK" is set to "ST", and "MIX/MON" set to "DIN/MON".

Am I clear here? Those of you who have this deck probably understand there are a few steps to doing this correctly, and it might not be the most intuitive part of the deck or manual. Do others have any direct experience doing this differently than me recording on that mix track 7 and 8, Digi in?

Lastly off topic, I have never had a single glitch in recording and have used this deck a great deal. I have 2 sony 64gb cards and 2 sony 128gb cards that I got really cheap from B and H. I do not reformat each show, because they are huge cards, but I reformat only in the machine and usually around when they are half to 3/4 full. I never delete on any machine I own, I only reformat, and have never had a single issue on any deck. I often use off brands too. (I do not own a DR70d though which is an entirely different issue related just to that decks design apparently). I do own way too many decks though, it's one of those things I cannot resist.

« Last Edit: December 03, 2015, 02:32:13 PM by dallman »

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To keep the terms straight and less confusing, let's refer to the 'extra channels' on the 680 as either the Stereo Channel (which is what Tascam calls it) or channels 7&8, rather than the Mix Track. That naming reduces potential confusion since either the digital input or a mix of the analog channels may be recorded to the stereo channel.

The menu TRACK setting controls which channels are armed by default when entering record or rec/pause mode. Doesn't matter how that is set, but if not armed by default, you'll need to remember to press the button under each channel you want recorded to arm them while in rec/pause, before beginning to record. Likewise you'll need to disarm any channels you don't want recorded, if your default setting has them pre-armed when entering rec/pause. That includes arming or disarming the stereo channel. My apologies if that is obvious and you are already doing this, just trying to state clearly what this step entails.

So the stereo channel needs to be armed (one way or the other) to have it recorded. If you need to set DIN MON as well as ST REC DIN to get the digital input recorded to the stereo channel when using the MK2, that's a change from the way the MK1 works. I'll test that on my recorder when I get a chance. Possibly tonight.

To keep the terms straight and less confusing, let's refer to the 'extra channels' on the 680 as either the Stereo Channel (which is what Tascam calls it) or channels 7&8, rather than the Mix Track. That naming reduces potential confusion since either the digital input or a mix of the analog channels may be recorded to the stereo channel.

The menu TRACK setting controls which channels are armed by default when entering record or rec/pause mode. Doesn't matter how that is set, but if not armed by default, you'll need to remember to press the button under each channel you want recorded to arm them while in rec/pause, before beginning to record. Likewise you'll need to disarm any channels you don't want recorded, if your default setting has them pre-armed when entering rec/pause. That includes arming or disarming the stereo channel. My apologies if that is obvious and you are already doing this, just trying to state clearly what this step entails.

So the stereo channel needs to be armed (one way or the other) to have it recorded. If you need to set DIN MON as well as ST REC DIN to get the digital input recorded to the stereo channel when using the MK2, that's a change from the way the MK1 works. I'll test that on my recorder when I get a chance. Possibly tonight.

Thanks for simplifying, and I always appreciate your input! I sometimes confuse myself with the terms, so I like your breakdown.

I do arm the channels, but still need to set the DIN/MON each time otherwise everything looks fine like it is recording, but there is no digi track on the SD card when I go to transfer. I will be curious to see what your results are. It would not shock me if there was more than one way to successfully do this. While it has now been a few weeks since I recorded openly, in October, I recorded a slew of shows with my SD USB Pre going to 7 and 8. The only way that worked (For me anyway) was:1. Track ST armed (with my SD USB Pre plugged into the digi in RCA jack)2. ST REC set to DIN3. DIN/MIX set to DIN/MON

Again thanks!

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Have 2 Dr680 MK1 and only formatted the SD card when I put it in. Ran 100's of shows on each one. Always pulled and deleted files from PC to DR680. Never had a SD card problem until the DR70 unit. Realize many on here say the correct way to do this is format the card each time though never had a problem.

Apologies if this is already known since I'm never on this thread, but I wanted to give a heads up that Tascam USA and Tascam EU have different media lists for the 680. Specifically, the EU list has 5 SanDisk cards that do not appear on the USA list, although 4 out of those 5 are designated as follows:

Quote

*After repeated use, the write performance of this card deteriorates. It is suggested that periodically audio files get transferred to a computer and the unit's ERASE FORMAT function is used prior to further recording use.

Thanks voltronic, that's the first time I've seen that. I just ran a full scan, using a program called F3 http://oss.digirati.com.br/f3/, on my 128GB PNY Elite card after about 4 months of heavy use and it came back with zero errors or corrupted sectors. My cards seem to be in good shape, but as mentioned earlier don't delete files from the card using your computer then use the card again without re-formatting 1st, not in the MKii at least.

Apologies if this is already known since I'm never on this thread, but I wanted to give a heads up that Tascam USA and Tascam EU have different media lists for the 680. Specifically, the EU list has 5 SanDisk cards that do not appear on the USA list, although 4 out of those 5 are designated as follows:

Quote

*After repeated use, the write performance of this card deteriorates. It is suggested that periodically audio files get transferred to a computer and the unit's ERASE FORMAT function is used prior to further recording use.

I don't know if there is a different approved card list for the original DR680 to which you refer or to the DR680MKII which is the model referred to on this thread. The 2 decks are different with some different buttons and menu processes, which is why there are 2 seperate threads. I throw that out there for clarity, because those that have either deck want information specific to their model and although reading this it sounds a bit like I am whining, but that is not my intent because I know you are just being helpful! That said, I have used lots of cards on both models, the DR 680 and the DR680MKII and never had any errors or hiccups. I have used models like Emtec and Wintec, repeatedly without issue. I really think the issues on the DR 70d are unique to that model and/or some major change in the firmware was made over the decks up until that point and the change has some kind of fatal flaw. This deck is pretty card friendly, I have not heard of any issues.

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Support Live Music: Tape A Show Today!Deck>possibly something here> Mics

Apologies if this is already known since I'm never on this thread, but I wanted to give a heads up that Tascam USA and Tascam EU have different media lists for the 680. Specifically, the EU list has 5 SanDisk cards that do not appear on the USA list, although 4 out of those 5 are designated as follows:

Quote

*After repeated use, the write performance of this card deteriorates. It is suggested that periodically audio files get transferred to a computer and the unit's ERASE FORMAT function is used prior to further recording use.

I don't know if there is a different approved card list for the original DR680 to which you refer or to the DR680MKII which is the model referred to on this thread. The 2 decks are different with some different buttons and menu processes, which is why there are 2 seperate threads. I throw that out there for clarity, because those that have either deck want information specific to their model and although reading this it sounds a bit like I am whining, but that is not my intent because I know you are just being helpful! That said, I have used lots of cards on both models, the DR 680 and the DR680MKII and never had any errors or hiccups. I have used models like Emtec and Wintec, repeatedly without issue. I really think the issues on the DR 70d are unique to that model and/or some major change in the firmware was made over the decks up until that point and the change has some kind of fatal flaw. This deck is pretty card friendly, I have not heard of any issues.

Typo on my part - I am referring to the MKII. If you follow my links in the above post, you'll see they are both for the 680MKII. For the record, I wasn't suggesting that the 680 or 680 MKII are having card issues (I have no experience with either), but found it interesting that Tascam has two different card lists for the 680 MKII and wanted to give people here the heads up on it.

FWIW, according to this thread the original 680 may have occasionally had "write timeout" errors with certain cards on the approved list for that unit.

I've not been home since last week (sick, staying in the nurse's bed ) but when I do get back there in a few days I can run a few digital sources into the MK2 which have worked in the past into the MK1 for me without problems. Namely a Grace V3, and and R-44. I can also try a few other digital sources I don't think I ever ran into the MK1- a SBM and a Panasonic CD/DVD player.

Right now it seems to keep.every setting across power cyclws, except the mix Mon setting in Function.

I have some misgivings about the importance of take file properties, but otherwise the unit seems straightforward.

I still think "profiles" is a good idea: a complete machine setup that is saved and can be called up to set the machine up for a particular style of job in one go.

I think a profile should include all settable options including mix pan, level and rec trim and everything under Function.

Also I think if one tells the unit to play a file thru dout and/or line out, the unit should disregard everything else, and simply play that file at the rate/depth it was recorded as, ignoring the DIN signal and all REC settings.

Anyone have any issues running the MKii off 9V DVD batteries?I've always run the MK1 that way, would like to do the same for the MKii.

I'm finally going to run my MKii for a festival next week and am making up an external battery power cable for it (wish it used the same power connector) and just want to check the experience of others beforehand.

Planning on running the full 8 channels, P48 across all 8. Grace V3 > SPDIF into the stereo channel.

Anyone have any issues running the MKii off 9V DVD batteries?I've always run the MK1 that way, would like to do the same for the MKii.

I'm finally going to run my MKii for a festival next week and am making up an external battery power cable for it (wish it used the same power connector) and just want to check the experience of others beforehand.

Planning on running the full 8 channels, P48 across all 8. Grace V3 > SPDIF into the stereo channel.

I always go 12V, not 9V. I have never had a problem with the MKI and now MKII, and I use it almost weekly. I have seen the argument for 9V, but it seems any time there has been an issue, it involves 9V. I think it's ok if you do not use internal batteries, which I keep in the deck for backup just in case. I think most issues center around the 9V battery falling below the internals and causing some kind of issue. (Power struggle ;-) ) So for me, it is just not worth playing around with.

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Support Live Music: Tape A Show Today!Deck>possibly something here> Mics

I'm only looking for confirmation that a 9V supply has worked for other MKII users.

Thanks for the input but I'd rather not re-hash the MKI issues and speculate on the causes again right now. For the record, I'v had no problems using 9 DVD batteries + internal batteries in the MKI since it's release. Switch over was always seamless. Although 12V is specified and optimal, I'm setup with multiple 9V DVD batteries to power the recorder and V3, which I can recharge from a deepcycle 12V boat battery back at camp with no electrical hookup, making this the far more practical option for me next week. I'm only looking to swap out the MKI out for the MKII, everything else remaining the same. I could simply use the MKI, but would rather use the MKII.

FWIW the MKII powered up fine on a 9V DVD battery last night when I tested it, but I did not run a rigorous test.

I'm simply looking for anecdotal confirmation that 9V has been working for other members here recording with the MKII.

I find the primary difference in use is that the menu system is easier to navigate quickly on the mk2. You can scroll through the entire menu without back and forth button presses. Perhaps the preamps are better, but I never had any problem with the mk1 preamps, and only brought along an outboard preamp to get 8 channels.

Anyone have any issues running the MKii off 9V DVD batteries?I've always run the MK1 that way, would like to do the same for the MKii.

I'm finally going to run my MKii for a festival next week and am making up an external battery power cable for it (wish it used the same power connector) and just want to check the experience of others beforehand.

Planning on running the full 8 channels, P48 across all 8. Grace V3 > SPDIF into the stereo channel.

This is confirmation that 9V DVD batteries have worked fine for me powering the Mk2.

I did have a problem which I believe was caused by the mk2 overheating when used along with a Grace V3 in the same bag (hot). No problems running the recorder alone (not over hot).

I ran the mk2 and V3 (8 channels) for Springfest last month. Mk2 powered by a 12V SLA (with p48 on all 6 analog channels), V3 powered by 9V DVD. It was warm out, and rather tight in the bag. By the end of Saturday, the V3 and recorder were quite hot. At one point the phantom power on all analog channels of the mk2 cut out simultaneously and completely but the recorder kept running, digital input from the V3 recorded correctly. I shut down and re-started the machine and the same problem manifested again after a few minutes. The following day I ran without the V3 (6 analog channels only) and the problem did not reoccur.

Last weekend at the Wanee festival I ran the mk2 only (6 analog p48) powered with 9V DVD batteries. No problems the entire fest. The Mk2 seems to draw less current than the mk1. My very old DVD batteries (7-8 yrs old, which have never been refreshed with new cells), lasted 7-8 hrs each.

Yeah, I assume it's overheating causing this. There is a different manifestation of the problem between the two recorder versions in my case, but the over-hot situation is the same.

Mk1 would produce a sort of rhythmic brief mute and level-pumping, which moved across all channels in a sort of wave like way, perhaps due to the phantom power cycling after the deck became overheated. With the mk2 all analog input levels suddenly dropped fully zero and remained muted. Due to the digital input still working, I assume that this was also a phantom power issue. I was not recording to any of the analog inputs without phantom, so not sure if those would have remained recording or not.

I propped open the Tascam form-fitting case to allow some additional cooling air ventilation this last weekend, and had a single-use instant cold-pack on hand in the bag just in case, but the mk2 didn't get very warm at all this time without the V3 also running in there right next to it.

Ok, here's a question. I'm using my MKII this weekend to record something where DIN is going to the stereo track and I'm giving everything the once over. It's recording fine (and in fact cascading fine to my 680; going to need 12 tracks total), but I can't figure out how to monitor that. From the manual:

When the Home Screen is open, press the FUNCTION button to open the Functions Screen. ...DIN/MIX monitor settingsWhen the ST REC item on the REC page of the MENU screen is set to DIN, the signal to be monitored can be selected. Press the VALUE/MARK knob to select DIN MON or MIX MON.The default value is MIX MON.MIX MON : Set to monitor the stereo mixDIN MON : Set to monitor the digital input

That's all fine, and corresponds to my experience with the 680. *However*, pressing the FUNCTION button while in record does nothing. So I only seem to be able to switch monitoring when stopped. Is anyone else able to switch monitoring while recording?

I wouldn't even care so much if the meters for the stereo track simply showed what was being recorded, rather than what was being monitored. That is, if you're recording DIN on the stereo track, but monitoring 1-6, the meters for the stereo track are for the 1-6 mix, not DIN.

^That's correct, and the same as the mk1. You need to select which source you want to monitor on the stereo channel meters prior to recording. You cannot change that selection while recording.

When powered up the machine will automatically default to MIX MON, so if you want to monitor the DIN input levels on the stereo channel meters, you need to remember to go into the menu and change that setting to DIN MON before recording each time you power-up. But as long as you've set DIN to route to the stereo channel, DIN will be recorded either way. That setting is retained when you power down and back up again.

^That's correct, and the same as the mk1. You need to select which source you want to monitor on the stereo channel meters prior to recording. You cannot change that selection while recording.

When powered up the machine will automatically default to MIX MON, so if you want to monitor the DIN input levels on the stereo channel meters, you need to remember to go into the menu and change that setting to DIN MON before recording each time you power-up. But as long as you've set DIN to route to the stereo channel, DIN will be recorded either way. That setting is retained when you power down and back up again.

Really? Huh, I don't remember that, but I didn't do it that often and when I did I probably set it prior to hitting rec/pause.

In that case, can you work the cascade the other way? Then you should be able to change the DIN monitoring on the fly on the mk1.

You mention recording 12 channels total. Do you want to do this simply to confirm digital connectivity via the stereo channel meters? or are you planning on keeping the stereo mix file from the first machine which is going to be recorded on the second machine over the SPDIF connection and want to make sure it doesn't clip?

You needn't record the stereo channel on either machine unless you want to do so for some reason. As long as the clock of the second machine digitally locks with the first, the 6 channels recorded on each will be clock-synced with each other. If the master/slave cascade of transport functions works as well that's gravy. I ran the mk1 and an R44 together that way a few times for 10 channels.

Really? Huh, I don't remember that, but I didn't do it that often and when I did I probably set it prior to hitting rec/pause.

In that case, can you work the cascade the other way? Then you should be able to change the DIN monitoring on the fly on the mk1.

You mention recording 12 channels total. Do you want to do this simply to confirm digital connectivity via the stereo channel meters? or are you planning on keeping the stereo mix file from the first machine which is going to be recorded on the second machine over the SPDIF connection and want to make sure it doesn't clip?

You needn't record the stereo channel on either machine unless you want to do so for some reason. As long as the clock of the second machine digitally locks with the first, the 6 channels recorded on each will be clock-synced with each other. If the master/slave cascade of transport functions works as well that's gravy. I ran the mk1 and an R44 together that way a few times for 10 channels.

Definitely switchable on the fly on the 680. I double checked after I posted. That whole menu is accessible, and isn't on the MKII. Also, FYI, it works with the latest firmware, and I know it worked with whatever firmware I was running in September of 2013, as I recorded a show with all 8 tracks then and I'm certain I was switching back and forth.

Let me explain the setup, so you can make some sense of it:

2 room mics -> preamp -> ADC -> 680MKII (DIN/stereo track)

6 instrument mics -> 680MKII (tracks 1-6)

mix of tracks 1-6 on 680MKII -> 680 (DIN/5&6)

4 line level feeds from mixer (vocals and DI) -> 680 (tracks 1-4)

That's the setup for 2 reasons:

1) In theory, the preamps are better in the 680MKII, so I'd rather have the mic sources get recorded by that and have the line level sources get recorded by the 680.2) While I won't use it for mixing (other than to line the tracks up), it's nice to have the monitor mix from the 680MKII feed tracks 5&6 on the 680 so I can monitor *everything* (other than the room mics) at once on the 680. I could record DIN on the 680 to that stereo track, thus removing the need for the ADC and recording on the stereo track of the 680MKII, but then I could only listen to half the tracks at once.

I'll probably just do some checks on the levels of the room mics into the ADC beforehand, so I don't have to rely on the meter on the 680MKII, but it's still kind of annoying.

In that case I'd probably just set the first recorder to DIN MON to monitor the room mics, and turn the stereo mix level down just a bit to make sure their is sufficient headroom for the 6 channel sum without monitoring it on the first recorder. You'll be able to monitor the mix on the ch 5/6 meters of the second recorder. And if that live mix clips, no major loss since you aren't using that in the final mix anyway.

In that case I'd probably just set the first recorder to DIN MON to monitor the room mics, and turn the stereo mix level down just a bit to make sure their is sufficient headroom for the 6 channel sum without monitoring it on the first recorder. You'll be able to monitor the mix on the ch 5/6 meters of the second recorder. And if that live mix clips, no major loss since you aren't using that in the final mix anyway.

Best of luck with it.

Alas, that won't work either

What gets sent via DIN OUT is whatever DIN MON is set to. So if I monitored the room mics, those would get sent to 5&6 on the second recorder, not the live mix of the other tracks. That would actually be easier for lining the tracks up in post, but would be less useful for live monitoring.

Last night I did some experiments with my preamp (actually a Mackie mixer), ADC, and 680MKII. I think I have a good handle on how the indicators and meters on the Mackie correspond to what the 680MKII is receiving, so I'll probably just rely on those for setting levels.

In the back of my mind I keep thinking back to a month ago when I was recording 8 channels on the mk2, including two dig-in from a V3, and was sending a 6 channel mix out to another taper via the RCA outs. In that case I needed to confirm the MIX MON setting to route the 6 channel mix to him, otherwise he'd only get the other two channels from the V3, which were backward facing ambience mics and certainly not what he'd want absent the other channels. Monitoring wasn't a problem for me since I could monitor those DIG IN channels on the V3's meters.

After restarting the machine and quickly hitting record for the next act, I had a brief moment of concern that I might be sending him the V3 channels, then remembered that the recorder defaulted to MIX MON so he was good. But either way, I still had the V3 output recorded to the stereo channel.

I recently picked up a mkII and have not gone through all 7 threads of mkI. A couple quick questions:

(1) Suggested simple 2-channel preamp with SPDIF out use on the DIG IN channels?(2) Suggested external battery?(3) I'm under the impression this deck is not as sensitive to particular SD cards like the DR-70 is, but any problems or suggested cards?

I recently picked up a mkII and have not gone through all 7 threads of mkI. A couple quick questions:

(1) Suggested simple 2-channel preamp with SPDIF out use on the DIG IN channels?(2) Suggested external battery?(3) I'm under the impression this deck is not as sensitive to particular SD cards like the DR-70 is, but any problems or suggested cards?

Thanks for any help.

1. I use a Sound Devices USBPre2 in front of mine and love the sound.2. I use an Anker 14400 Mah that has 12v out and powers it for 8+ hours.3. I use a couple 32 GB Sandisks sdhc class 4, without any issues.

I recently picked up a mkII and have not gone through all 7 threads of mkI. A couple quick questions:

(1) Suggested simple 2-channel preamp with SPDIF out use on the DIG IN channels?(2) Suggested external battery?(3) I'm under the impression this deck is not as sensitive to particular SD cards like the DR-70 is, but any problems or suggested cards?

Thanks for any help.

1. I use a Sound Devices USBPre2 in front of mine and love the sound.2. I use an Anker 14400 Mah that has 12v out and powers it for 8+ hours.3. I use a couple 32 GB Sandisks sdhc class 4, without any issues.

hope this helps

Similarly1. I use a Sound Devices USBPre2 in front of mine and love the sound.2. I use Tekkeon MP3450 or Tekkeon 3450 knockoffs and well as the older Power Runner Batteries that has 12v out and powers it for about 8 hours maybe more. I always run at 12v not 9v.3. I use a couple of Sony 128 and 64 GB sdxc class 10 cards, without any issues. I have also run 32gb class 10 SDHC Wintec, Fuji and Micro Center cards with never an issue. And I have run 8 mics with these cards too which would be maximum demand. That is why I run class 10 cards.

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Support Live Music: Tape A Show Today!Deck>possibly something here> Mics

Thanks for the USBPre2 recommendations, though I was thinking of something more along the lines of $200 or less, rather than a unit that costs more than the deck itself. But there aren't really that many boxes that do this function are there, 2-channel portable preamp with SPDIF out.

When I need 8 channels I use a V3 for digital in which doesn't meet your cost criteria, but I've been meaning to try an old SBM-1 I picked up from another member here. I haven't done that yet (no time for such a project currently), and can't remember hearing of others here using the SBM-1 into a 680, but if it works it is an option.

If pursuing that route, keep in mind that the SBM-1 output is 16bits. Assuming they play nicely together, one should be able to simply set the 680 to record at either of the SBM-1's output settings of 16/44.1 or 16/48 16 bits. However AFAIK, the 680 should lock to the SBM's 44.1 or 48kHz clock rate regardless of it's word length, even if the 680 is set to record 24bit files, which is how I planned to run it. I use 6 channels of mics in my standard setup, and the idea is to keep the SBM-1 in the bag for SBD or other extra channels, without having to change the 680 from my normal recording rate of 24/48, and without the size, weight and cost penalties of bringing along the V3 for such "just in case" scenarios. In that case, the resulting stereo channel file from the digital input would be a 24bit file but would only contain 16 bits of information, with the bottom 8 bits consisting of zeros.

The spdif out on the Mini-me can be flakey. The AES out is more reliable. So a AES to Spdif cable is a better and more reliable arrangement. See the thread for the unit currently for sale in the yard sale.

Thanks for the USBPre2 recommendations, though I was thinking of something more along the lines of $200 or less, rather than a unit that costs more than the deck itself. But there aren't really that many boxes that do this function are there, 2-channel portable preamp with SPDIF out.

would a UA-5 work? or a denecke ad-20 aka zifiro inbox work?

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You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline - it helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer. -FZ

Has anyone run into something like this? Twice now I've had a situation where I've recorded something with an AT2050 and the resulting waveform has clipped, albeit asymmetrically: positive peaks are clipped while negative peaks aren't. These were the two shows:

Show 1 had 3 inputs providing phantom power (the AT2050 and the two AT853s), while show 2 had 2 inputs providing phantom power (the two AT2050s). Fortunately with the drums, the clipping is only on some loud snare hits, and isn't really noticeable, but with the violin, it's all over the place and the sound is quite distorted.

I just did a couple quick experiments recording a CD played very loudly and the mics close to my speakers:

Test 11 - AT2050, 680 set to high gain2 - AT2050, 680 set to low gain

Test 2 (all high gain)1 - AT20502 - AT20503 - AT8534 - AT853

I wasn't able to reproduce the problem. No noticeable clipping, and symmetrical waveforms.

Thoughts? Both the shows and the tests were recorded using the supplied AC adapter. At this point it's a bit frustrating that I'm unable to reproduce the issue.

I sometimes run a Y cord from the talentcell and power both the DR-680 and a MiniMe with it at the same time. No problems to date. Runtime has not been an issue. Over 3 hours powering both and phantom power on 6 mics (4 on the 680 and 2 on the MiniMe)

I sometimes run a Y cord from the talentcell and power both the DR-680 and a MiniMe with it at the same time. No problems to date. Runtime has not been an issue. Over 3 hours powering both and phantom power on 6 mics (4 on the 680 and 2 on the MiniMe)

Thanks I'll look into that one. Ideally looking for something that will power it for a full festival day (say 12hrs) running 6ch of phantom to power Naiant PFAs.

Open to other suggestions which have been proven to work for other members here, thanks all.

I sometimes run a Y cord from the talentcell and power both the DR-680 and a MiniMe with it at the same time. No problems to date. Runtime has not been an issue. Over 3 hours powering both and phantom power on 6 mics (4 on the 680 and 2 on the MiniMe)

Thanks I'll look into that one. Ideally looking for something that will power it for a full festival day (say 12hrs) running 6ch of phantom to power Naiant PFAs.

Open to other suggestions which have been proven to work for other members here, thanks all.

I should have been more clear in my post. I think it was still showing 2 LEDs after the 3 hours; I have not run it down completely to test runtime as I rarely need more than 3 hours. FWIW, I think the MiniMe is listed as a 5.5 W draw and the DR-680 MK i a 9W draw.

The talentcell will also allow recharging while in operation via a Y cable so I would expect that you could use a Y cable to seamlessly switch from one unit to another without powering down your rig.

What's the generally preferred external battery option for the 680 these days?

My stash of old 9V "DVD" LiIOn batteries are growing unreliable and I think it's time to move to something else.

I still use 2 old powerrunners that keep on ticking, and a mountain of various Tekkeon and Tekkeon knockoffs. For a while they were available on eBay at great prices, but I think that ship has sailed. I like the knockoffs better than the actual Tekkeons. Personally always go with 12 volts and in addition (try to remember to) keep fresh batteries in the deck just in case...

I think there are some good options in Amazon, but generally not inexpensive. Others can comment with their own personal experience, because these are the only 2 battery types I have ever used on anything requiring more than 5V.

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We just got our DR680mkII (already have a mk1), loaded firmware 1.02, and now the backlight goes out even on AC. Oddly, I found only one circumstance when it does not - when running on batteries, then plugging in the AC plug, and before hitting any button. After hitting any button, the recorder now backlight timeouts. Anyone else? Or have I missed something new?

We just got our DR680mkII (already have a mk1), loaded firmware 1.02, and now the backlight goes out even on AC. Oddly, I found only one circumstance when it does not - when running on batteries, then plugging in the AC plug, and before hitting any button. After hitting any button, the recorder now backlight timeouts. Anyone else? Or have I missed something new?

Weird. And you're certain you're on AC? The battery level icon changes to an AC icon? If so, I'd contact Tascam. The backlight always stays on when plugged in for me, and I'm looking at the manual now and don't see any settings for when on AC.

Weird. And you're certain you're on AC? The battery level icon changes to an AC icon? If so, I'd contact Tascam. The backlight always stays on when plugged in for me, and I'm looking at the manual now and don't see any settings for when on AC.

Quite sure; the icon changes, but after pressing any button, the light times out as selected in the menu. Even with no batts. I tried reloading the firmware and doing the reset to factory in the menu, no change. It didn't behave like this on the original firmware 1.0 something. I'm skeptical Tascam will bother to answer; it must be my fault....

Weird. And you're certain you're on AC? The battery level icon changes to an AC icon? If so, I'd contact Tascam. The backlight always stays on when plugged in for me, and I'm looking at the manual now and don't see any settings for when on AC.

Quite sure; the icon changes, but after pressing any button, the light times out as selected in the menu. Even with no batts. I tried reloading the firmware and doing the reset to factory in the menu, no change. It didn't behave like this on the original firmware 1.0 something. I'm skeptical Tascam will bother to answer; it must be my fault....

I may be dead wrong about this, as I do not have my deck here at work, and maybe you already know this and it is what you have set, but I remember on some Tascams, you had to put the backlight setting to "OFF" which would imply no backlighting, but on some decks (not all of course that would be too simple) actually means the auto off function is disabled, therefore the backlight is always on.

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Yes, I tried backlight set to OFF, and yes, it's then always on! But I want the old behavior: times out on batts, and always on on AC. I never run a battery pack into the AC plug, that may concern some users.

Yes, I tried backlight set to OFF, and yes, it's then always on! But I want the old behavior: times out on batts, and always on on AC. I never run a battery pack into the AC plug, that may concern some users.

The DR680 MKII does not have that feature. I know I really liked that feature on my HD-p2 because at a festival or in the event of a bad external battery upon switching to internals I was alerted by the screen going dark that I was on internals. There were specific menu settings for battery separate from AC, so it was easy to have it set up as you mention. I had the MKI for a while and I never saw that feature being available, but you have the MKI and if you say it is, then I guess it is, but I do not see anything that separates the AC setting from battery setting. I have never seen it as available on the MKII, and I always thought that was pretty much the same as on the MKI, which I had for about a year or 2, it is one of many features that the HD-p2 has that most later models do not. For me it is not much of an issue, because I do use an external battery, and I think I had a Tekkeon go bad on me, but at some point I noticed the icon had switched from AC to batteries, so I swapped it out. I realize that does not help you. I do not think there is anything wrong with the deck, it is just that the feature does not exist.

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Support Live Music: Tape A Show Today!Deck>possibly something here> Mics

Yes, I tried backlight set to OFF, and yes, it's then always on! But I want the old behavior: times out on batts, and always on on AC. I never run a battery pack into the AC plug, that may concern some users.

The DR680 MKII does not have that feature. I know I really liked that feature on my HD-p2 because at a festival or in the event of a bad external battery upon switching to internals I was alerted by the screen going dark that I was on internals. There were specific menu settings for battery separate from AC, so it was easy to have it set up as you mention. I had the MKI for a while and I never saw that feature being available, but you have the MKI and if you say it is, then I guess it is, but I do not see anything that separates the AC setting from battery setting. I have never seen it as available on the MKII, and I always thought that was pretty much the same as on the MKI, which I had for about a year or 2, it is one of many features that the HD-p2 has that most later models do not. For me it is not much of an issue, because I do use an external battery, and I think I had a Tekkeon go bad on me, but at some point I noticed the icon had switched from AC to batteries, so I swapped it out. I realize that does not help you. I do not think there is anything wrong with the deck, it is just that the feature does not exist.

I'm not sure what you mean. With the MKII, the backlight is always on when the unit is plugged in. From the manual:

"Use the BACKLIGHT item to set the amount of time since being last used until the backlight automatically turns OFF when operating on batteries."

dallman, my DR680 MK1 and MK2 are both setup to operate as you describe the HDP2.

That is this- Back light remains on as long as power is supplied to the external jack. Once power is no longer supplied to the external jack the machine reverts to the internal batteries and switches to whichever backlight setting one has previously specified in the menu (on/off/or a few various time-out choices). I have mine set to a minimal amount of backlight-on time when on internal batteries to preserve the limited power when running on AA's. I suspect that's how most other tapers would want it set.

So- as long as one sets it up to do so beforehand, when the backlight goes out while recording its a clear indication the external battery is either spent or has become disconnected.

dallman, my DR680 MK1 and MK2 are both setup to operate as you describe the HDP2.

That is this- Back light remains on as long as power is supplied to the external jack. Once power is no longer supplied to the external jack the machine reverts to the internal batteries and switches to whichever backlight setting one has previously specified in the menu (on/off/or a few various time-out choices). I have mine set to a minimal amount of backlight-on time when on internal batteries to preserve the limited power when running on AA's. I suspect that's how most other tapers would want it set.

So- as long as one sets it up to do so beforehand, when the backlight goes out while recording its a clear indication the external battery is either spent or has become disconnected.

I probably just never encountered the situation with either 680, so sorry for the confusion. That is nice to know, but it does not help solve the problem for GLouie who it seems has a glitch n his system.

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Support Live Music: Tape A Show Today!Deck>possibly something here> Mics

I haven't had time to do more experiments. They don't have any firmware on their site other than 1.02. I think it came installed with 1.00 or 1.01, where the backlight worked as I expected, but had the write timeout error as expected.

I suspect they will make me send it in, which is a PITA. I wonder if there is a master reset inside? I should look at the mark 1 schematics...

Unbelievable! I phoned Teac/Tascam USA support. To their credit, they answered pretty promptly, but told me the firmware has changed the backlight operation. They told me I have to reset the backlight menu whenever I change from AC to batteries! Incredible! I told the CSR this was terrible. The backlight serves as a warning if AC power fails. It's been that way for the entire history of the DR680mk1. I asked where to complain (he said send it to the usual customer contact portal).

Unbelievable! I phoned Teac/Tascam USA support. To their credit, they answered pretty promptly, but told me the firmware has changed the backlight operation. They told me I have to reset the backlight menu whenever I change from AC to batteries! Incredible! I told the CSR this was terrible. The backlight serves as a warning if AC power fails. It's been that way for the entire history of the DR680mk1. I asked where to complain (he said send it to the usual customer contact portal).

Are those of you without this problem running the 1.02 firmware?

I thought I was using 1.02, but I will try to remember to verify.

One issue I do have with the MKII is (at least with the firmware I'm using) it isn't possible to switch between MIX MON and DIN MON while recording. With the original version, if you were recording via DIN on the stereo track, you could switch monitoring between that and the mix of 1-6 on the fly while recording. With the MKII it's only possible to switch when not recording, which is not very useful. I contacted Tascam about this, and they wanted me to call them. I still haven't gotten back to them.

In my note to Tascam, I did acknowledge that some users plug battery packs into the external power jack, and may prefer this new behavior. I suggested they need a new setting to make this behavior optional.

Aha. There's a serious bug in 1.0, where if you reformat the SD card using the Erase-Format option instead of Quick Erase, recording stops after a few seconds with a "write timeout" error. That's why I upgraded.

Aha. There's a serious bug in 1.0, where if you reformat the SD card using the Erase-Format option instead of Quick Erase, recording stops after a few seconds with a "write timeout" error. That's why I upgraded.

I guess it's a good thing I always do Quick Erase!

I guess there wasn't a 1.01?

Also, do you have the same issue with monitor switching? That you can't switch between MIX MON and DIN MON during recording? I need to call them when I get a chance.

I haven't checked the monitor switching behavior. I never switch that during recording myself. I'll try to remember to check when I get back to the office next week.

Since we just got the mkII, I don't know the history of firmware, other than my machine came with 1.0 and their website only has 1.02. Their release notes makes no mention of 1.01 other than a fake screenshot. 1.02 is dated Jan 27, 2016.

Also, do you have the same issue with monitor switching? That you can't switch between MIX MON and DIN MON during recording? I need to call them when I get a chance.

I just got off the phone with Tascam. They indicated the behavior was as expected, and suggested if I wanted changes to e-mail them and they would send them to the development team. This is what I wrote:

DR-680MKII:Allow the switching between MIX MON and DIN MON while recording. The DR-680 allows this, but the DR-680MKII only allows switching while not recording; the Function button is disabled during recording, preventing accessing the setting.

DR-680 & DR-680MKII:Change the functionality of the stereo meter (designated by L and R) so that it always displays the level being recorded to the stereo track. Currently, with both models, if you are recording DIN to the stereo track, but are monitoring the mix of inputs 1-6, there is no way to view the level of what is being recorded to the stereo track. The stereo meter corresponds to what is being monitored, not (necessarily) what is being recorded to the stereo track.

Also, for those that have 2 units, this tip may help you, depending on what other gear you (don't) have. I sometimes find myself wanting to record 8 tracks, which I can do with an external DAC, but my unit (ART DI/O) doesn't have mic preamps, so I have to use something like my Mackie to go into it. I realized that I could just use my original 680 as a preamp and DAC. Plug the mics into channels 1 and 2, set the mix level of both to 100, pan them L and R, and just leave that unit in pause record, feeding the 680MKII.

DR-680MKII:Allow the switching between MIX MON and DIN MON while recording. The DR-680 allows this, but the DR-680MKII only allows switching while not recording; the Function button is disabled during recording, preventing accessing the setting.

Not sure, but this may not be possible due to changes in the routing structure between MKI and MKII. I'd have to take a hard look at the signal diagrams in the service manuals. They are posted here at TS somewhere. Hopefully you'll hear back from Tascam. I don't have time to look at the moment..

I'm still using firmware v 1.20 with my original DR-680. Is it worth updating to 1.31?

This is what is mentioned for 1.30:

• A file number initialization function (Take No. Init) has been added that allows the take numbering to be reset.• An erase format function has been added. • A speaker switch function has been added.• Playback of multitrack recordings is now supported. • During AES/EBU input, when the Cbit sampling frequency information was "Not Indicate" the unit would become unlocked and unable to receive. This has been fixed. However, proper operation cannot be guaranteed when the input signal sampling frequency differs from the setting of this unit.• The remaining recording time display has been changed from the time for each file to the time for the entire media.• Operation stability has been improved.

I just checked, and I have 1.30 on my 680. 1.31 must have not been available yet. I don't use that machine as much since I got the 680MKII (I've only used it when I need more than 8 tracks), but I haven't had any problems.

Back to the backlight behavior... This discussion has been confusing since two different behaviors have been described for the DR-680 MKII.GLouie said that the backlight in his unit shuts off at the menu-designated time whether running on AC or batteries, but lukpac and Gutbucket have posts that seem to say that the backlight stays on with AC but times-out on batteries.

(Apologies if I misrepresented your positions - as I said, this is confusing!)

I have two of these units. Both are running the most recent firmware, 1.02 build 0043.Both exhibit exactly the behavior that GLouie described - that is, the backlight menu determines the behavior and there is no difference whether the unit is on batteries or AC.

Are we all talking about mkii units with firmware 1.02 0043?

I agree that a new feature that allows independent backlight options for AC and battery would be useful for some. Personally, I run the TalentCell battery pack at festivals and do not want the backlight on all the time, so the current setup is OK with me...

Back to the backlight behavior... This discussion has been confusing since two different behaviors have been described for the DR-680 MKII.GLouie said that the backlight in his unit shuts off at the menu-designated time whether running on AC or batteries, but lukpac and Gutbucket have posts that seem to say that the backlight stays on with AC but times-out on batteries.

(Apologies if I misrepresented your positions - as I said, this is confusing!)

I have two of these units. Both are running the most recent firmware, 1.02 build 0043.Both exhibit exactly the behavior that GLouie described - that is, the backlight menu determines the behavior and there is no difference whether the unit is on batteries or AC.

Are we all talking about mkii units with firmware 1.02 0043?

I agree that a new feature that allows independent backlight options for AC and battery would be useful for some. Personally, I run the TalentCell battery pack at festivals and do not want the backlight on all the time, so the current setup is OK with me...

Correct about my unit, but as noted, I'm still running the original firmware. The behavior was apparently changed in 1.02. Odd that it's not mentioned in the release notes, and that there's no mention of 1.01.

Yes, Lukpac is running the old firmware, which he didn't realize at first. Thus, he has the old behavior. With Rumbleseat's report, my guess is that Gutbucket is also on old firmware.

This looks like a Tascam "mistake", hence no mention in the release notes.

I once caught Sound Devices turning off dither on 16 bit recordings after a 722 firmware change, and they changed it back quickly with another firmware change. It pays to be vigilant and speak up to the manufacturers.

The cables listed w/ the battery are all 5.5mm x 2.1mm so you'll need to get a cable that's 5.5mm x 2.1mm on one end and 4.75mm x 1.7mm on the other. Amazon sells adapters if you want to use that route but personally I avoid adapters.

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You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline - it helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer. -FZ

The cables listed w/ the battery are all 5.5mm x 2.1mm so you'll need to get a cable that's 5.5mm x 2.1mm on one end and 4.75mm x 1.7mm on the other. Amazon sells adapters if you want to use that route but personally I avoid adapters.